There are certain habits of our pets that we love and traits that we dislike. Quietly sitting on a chair, thinking some stuff or doing something, you suddenly get this lick on your face from your dog that can either be annoying or adorable to you. Have you ever thought why your dog licks your face out of nowhere? Well! Licking human faces is common and functional dog behavior and today we are going to dig deeper into it.

Why Dogs Lick Your Face?

Dogs don’t communicate but they possess an ability to convey a lot through their actions. Your dog might either lick too much or occasionally. There are many reasons that trigger your dog to lick your face and that’s what we’re going to discuss in detail.

Love

Licking is the major mode of communication for a dog. Right from the birth, mother communicates by licking her puppies and cleaning them when they are born and stimulates them to start breathing. So, when your pup licks your face, it means that he might be expressing his affection for you to strengthen the bonding between you both.

Hunger

Just as their wolf ancestors, wild dogs lick their pack leader’s face to convey that they need food. Therefore, if you notice that your dog licks your face often at their feeding time, he may be letting you know that he wants food.

Respect

Dog licking your face can also indicate that they respect you. Earlier, dogs used face-licking to communicate respect and submission to their pack leader. So, when your dog licks your face, he may be communicating that he really respects you and acknowledges you as a pack leader. It’s just a dog thing!  

Pleasure

There are many things that we do out of wish and without any reason. Similarly, dogs like to lick your face and there might be simply no reason behind it. It’s just that they lick you because the act of licking releases pleasurable endorphins which make them feel good.

Gather Information

Dogs are curious by nature. They have special receptors in the nose that allows them to sniff around and explore the world. When your dog licks your face they might also intend to gather information about you. By licking your face, your dog can easily figure out whether you’re feeling stressed or happy.

How To Stop Your Dog Licking Your Face

-Kindly Ignore Their Action. Dogs often lick when they get attention. If you really want to stop your dog from licking your face then don’t give them affirmations they require and they’ll stop licking when they don’t get desired attention.

Redirect Their Action. Dogs sometimes also lick your face due to hunger. So, it is one of the best ways to stop them from licking your face where you can redirect their energy by putting either chew or bone in their mouth.

-Say No And Walk Away. Simply ignoring your dog’s action won’t let them know that they are doing something wrong. Therefore, take one step further and say No! in a firm voice when they lick and pull away. This indicates that you don’t like this behavior and they need to stop it.

Train Your Dog. Dogs like to lick your face but some dogs can get carried away and licking human face becomes their frequent behavior. Hence, you need to determine how you feel about your dog licking human face and then train them to stay within the limits you set for them.

If you’re worried about the hygiene when your dog licks your face, don’t be. If you are punctilious with your dog’s health and provide plenty of attention and preventive care then you’re probably safe when your dog licks your face.